Angels

So my animals have been less demonic today...not completely angelic, but definitely not those evil entities they were (or at least Tigress was) yesterday. That being said I can now tell you the heartwarming tale of their first nights/days together.

It's always worrisome when you get a new pet inside a house that is already claimed territory by another pet, especially when said pets are of supposedy enemy species. Will they get along? Will the cat scratch the dog's eyeballs out? Will the dog eat the cat? Those are a few of the more serious questions you ask yourself when introducing the traditionally arch enemies to each other. I, of course, asked myself that question when my husband and I decided to bring Tigress home to meet Oreo. I was equally worried about Oreo and Tigress. Oreo seems to love everything he comes into contact with so it wouldn't surprise me if all he wanted to do was play with Tigress, but that may have been the problem. He would amble right on up to her, which would scare her and make her react in self-defense and bring out those lovely, pointy, kitty claws. Those same claws would reach right for his huge bug-eyes that stick out like a skinny kid in a candy shop and cause some major damage. Either that or Tigress would cower and Oreo in all his oaf-like clumsiness would step right on her and make her screech bloody murder. It seemed like a disaster waiting to happen, but Michael and I took precautions before allowing them to meet. He had an iron grip on Oreo while I firmly held Tigress. We put them face to face...Oreo sniffed like a mad man on crack and Tigress hissed like an upset rattlesnake. It wasn't a pretty sight and definitely not a good first impression. We put them both in the car for the ride home anyway. Oreo roamed free while I held onto Tigress. She does not like cars. She is easily spooked which means claws in my chest and horrible meowing the whole way home. Fortunately, Oreo was there. Somehow he sensed she was afraid. He came and laid his head on my shoulder which magically settled Tigress down. Her heart stopped beating so erratically, her grip on my chest came loose, she quieted, and we could hear the slightest purring.

The first few days were much the same. Tigress was not yet used to being without her kitty family and unfortunately she was in a cage for long periods of time. I'm allergic to cats, and she made my head feel like a water balloon filled just a little too full. I sneezed, I coughed, my head hurt, my throat ached, and I just didn't feel good. I would finally give myself a rest and stick Tigress in a wire crate in the living room where she could still see us. She cried miserably and tried and tried to find a way out. I couldn't believe what happened the first time I did this. As I sat on the couch reading, I noticed Oreo walk over to the crate. He laid down next to it, unrolled his tail (which usually means he's sad), and stayed there for a good five minutes. During this time Tigress calmed down. She laid down at the edge of the crate closest to Oreo and slept. After Oreo got up and left she began to cry again. This time Oreo walked over to his toy basket (which is full because he's spoiled), picked up a toy, dragged it over to the cage, and sat down with her again. He repeated this several times that day. It was like he became her new guardian and friend all rolled up into a short, disproportionate, bug-eyed pug. He was not only her guardian angel, but mine as well. There was nothing I could do for Tigress because of my allergies, but I felt like a horrible parent and it was driving me insane to hear her cry. Oreo saved me from myself through his angelic actions.